Blogs and Commentary

BC's McNelis: Exceed Your Limits

Kelly
McNelis

"Don't put a limit on anything. The more you dream the
farther you get." - Michael Phelps

Summer sure is flying by! It is hard to believe the middle of
July is approaching and the North American Challenge Cup is about
to begin. I am especially looking forward to the touring games
since my head coach, Acacia Walker, along with my good friend and
former teammate, Kristin Igoe, are members of the U.S. women's
national team.

Acacia is once again expected to be a leading contributor in
Canada while Kristin has emerged as a top player to watch. Both
Acacia and Kristin will be competing to make the 2013 World Cup
Team at the end of this month.

Kristin has been a member of the national team since 2010 and is
eager to get to Canada and compete. When I spoke to Kristin last
week, she was most looking forward to seeing how the U.S. was going
to do against the Canadian National Team. She has been training
hard and is excited to join her U.S. teammates again.

"Everyone has been at their own schools so it's nice to come
back together again," she said.

We also discussed the differences between colligate and national
play. Kristin felt playing on the U.S team was a little different
than playing for Boston College. However, she thought BC and the
national team both played fast-paced games. Kristin truly loves the
game of lacrosse and found being a part of both teams to be a lot
of fun.

Acacia has been a longtime national team member, and became our
head coach this offseason. She began playing with the team in 2003
and has continually made an impact. As a veteran player and team
leader on the 2009 FIL World Cup gold medal team, many consider
Acacia a mentor. They look to her for leadership and advice.

You can learn a lot from having Acacia as a coach and playing
with Kristin. Both are driven to exceed their limits. I think it is
important to have a vision and never give up. You have to believe
in yourself and make your own future. Acacia always inspires our
team to "Dream Big."

Anyone who wants to play at an elite level should go for it.
Kristin may have said it best about her own experience:

"You never know what is going to happen. You never know what
kind of player [the evaluators] are looking for. Work hard and
train hard. Give 100 percent effort and put your heart and soul
into it."